Welcome to Granite Falls Campground, a backcountry destination in Grand Lake, Colorado, offering adventurers a chance to immerse themselves in the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains. As part of the Campgrounds & RV Parks category, Granite Falls provides a unique and challenging camping experience for those seeking a deeper connection with nature.
Located near Grand Lake, CO 80447, Granite Falls Campground is accessible via the Green Mountain trailhead and requires backpacking to reach the campsite. It's important to note that backcountry permits may be required for hiking and camping in this area. Visitors should check current regulations before planning their trip.
Here's what Granite Falls Campground offers:
Based on customer reviews, the hike to Granite Falls features sections of burned forest, but the destination itself is rewarding with its beautiful waterfalls. The upper campsite offers two options, with one featuring amenities like benches and a spacious tent pad. The area is known for moose sightings and challenging hikes to Haynach Lakes, which are considered very rewarding.
Granite Falls Campground provides a unique backcountry experience for those willing to undertake the trek. Be prepared for a challenging hike and ensure you have the necessary permits. Experience the beauty of Granite Falls and the surrounding wilderness in Grand Lake, Colorado.
I parked at the Green Mountain trailhead and backpacked to the Granite Falls site. Most of the hike had forest that was burned out. The falls were lovely though and we enjoyed getting out feet wet there. The campsite itself was very open and exposed. The creek along the hike was very nice and calming. We spotted some moose in the meadow due to some help from other hikers. The Granite Falls hike is only supposed to be open for those with back country permits right now.
This review is for the Upper Granite Falls campsite. We backpacked in on Friday, July 31 from the Green Mountain trailhead. It took 3 hours 40 minutes to hike up, that was with a couple short breaks totaling about 20 minutes. The trek up to the campsite is mostly forested with a few views of open wet meadows. Not the prettiest trail until you get to the falls, but still very well maintained. On this day, the park was metering the number of people allowed in, so we met only a few people on the trail. The falls were gorgeous, and we continued past them .2 miles up to reach our site. There are two sites here, we were the first ones in, so we had our pick. The one next to the wet meadow is the nicest, it has a great tent pad and two benches, which were very nice for packing/unpacking and relaxing, and nicely spaced trees for our hammock. The other site is ok, but is in a thicker forest with no bench and no view. There were some bugs (mosquitos) due to the wet meadow. We were able to hike down and cook at the top of the falls each morning and evening. Saw two moose approaching us on the trail. They turned around and headed up. The second day we did a day hike through the burn areas up to the Haynatch lakes. This is very steep and difficult trail, but very rewarding as the lakes are gorgeous. The hike back only took about 3 hours, and there were several freshly fallen trees from the storm on the previous night.
Burned out a bit, but still lovely